Three-Membered Aluminacycles

摘要

Three-membered-ring scaffolds of carbocycles, namely,cyclopropanesand cyclopropenes, are ubiquitous in natural products and pharmaceuticalmolecules. These molecules exhibit a peculiar reactivity, and theirapplications as synthetic intermediates and versatile building blocksin organic synthesis have been extensively studied over the past century.The incorporation of heteroatoms into three-membered cyclic structureshas attracted significant attention, reflecting fundamental differencesin their electronic/geometric structures and reactivities comparedto their carbon congeners and their associated potential for exploitationin applications. Recently, the chemistry of low-valent aluminum species,alumylenes, dialumenes, and aluminyl anions, has dramatically developed,which has allowed access to hitherto unprecedented aluminacycles.This Perspective focuses upon advances in the chemistry of three-memberedaluminacycles, including their synthetic protocols, spectroscopicand structural properties, and reactivity toward various substratesand small molecules.